20 times 2015 wasn’t all that bad

2015, THE CONSENSUS SEEMS TO BE, was a rough year. The rise of ISIS, mass shootings, racist attacks on churches, horrible demagoguery in the already-too-long 2016 Presidential Election, and, of course, the inevitable creeping dread that comes with the passage of time and the slow, inevitable approach of death. More than one of my friends posted this video:

But 2015 really wasn’t all that bad. Sure, there was rough stuff, but human beings have a negativity bias that makes them to remember bad news more strongly than good news. So let’s take a moment and remember some of the really awesome stuff that happened in 2015.

1. Gay marriage was legalized throughout the United States.

Remember this, back in June? Ireland, Mexico and Luxembourg legalized it this year too, bringing the total number of countries worldwide up to 20.

2. This one family saved thousands of lives in the Mediterranean.

In the midst of the horrible refugee crisis in Europe, one family travels around the Mediterranean saving the lives of refugees who might have otherwise drowned in the perilous trip from Northern Africa to Europe.

11. Cuba opened up.

A photo posted by Gökhan (@gogoenduroman) on Dec 20, 2015 at 8:35am PST

12. Liberia beat Ebola.

After 2014’s horrendous Ebola outbreak in West Africa, Liberia, one of the worst-stricken countries, was declared Ebola-free.

13. India’s tigers started to come back.

Thanks to intense conservation efforts, India’s endangered tiger population rebounded in a big way — they now have a third more tigers than they did four years ago.

14. Utah found a way to drastically reduce homelessness.

The Great State of Utah has been experimenting with a radical idea: give the homeless homes, no questions asked. It turns out, unsurprisingly, that the program is wildly successful in reducing homelessness, but more surprisingly, it actually saves the state a ton of money. You can read a full explanation and breakdown at Mother Jones.

15. Ecuador broke records fighting to bring back the rainforest.

Given how horribly deforestation has harmed the Amazon and the world’s environment as a whole, it was awesome news to hear that Ecuadorians broke a Guinness World Record by planting nearly 650,000 trees in may.

16. The world finally came to a climate agreement.

This December in Paris, the world’s leaders finally came to a serious agreement about working together to fight climate change. Was it perfect? No. Was it still really good news? Yes.

17. Americans got outside instead of into malls on Black Friday.

After retailer REI announced they were closing on Black Friday to let their employees get outdoors with their families, several states opened up their state parks for free in order to get Americans back into the great outdoors.

18. California, Vermont, and Hawaii all made huge steps towards becoming more renewable.

All three states passed laws to up their clean energy game. Hawaii is going to be 100% renewable by 2045, Vermont wants to be at 75% by 2032, and California wants to be at 50% by 2030. Also, as of this year, the entire country of Costa Rica is running on renewables.

We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. For more information on how we use cookies consult our revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.